[photos at left: famous people matatus]
You encounter some wild names when you travel - in part because of cultural differences, in part because of writing in English as a second or third language. Asia has some great sign-spotting, but Kenya can definitely join in the competition. Check it out...
matatus
My personal favorite…
-“Retired Slaves”
Some people name their babies after famous people, others name their matatus…
-“Barack Obama”
-“Obama Senator” variation
-“Che Guevara”
-“Beyonce”
Would you get into a matatu named…
-“Nuclear Bomb”
-“Totally Crazy”
-“Lord Help Us”
-“The Struggler”
-“Out of Control” …?
tuk tuks
-“The Gunner Team,” watch out for the nerdiest, cut-throat tuk tuk in town!
boda bodas
-most political: “abortion is a crime”
-most philosophical: “what is?”
-most SF: “i am ganja head”
t-shirts
-“Do the Right Thing: Be Abstinent.” on a clearly pregnant lady
-Grateful Dead tie-dye t-shirt on a dude obviously trying to look cool, bobbing his head to Kenyan rap.
-“Your boyfriend thinks I’m SEXY” hot pink lettering on a black t-shirt, worn by an elderly Kenyan woman.
shops
-“Dolphin Butchery.” i didn’t know they had dolphins in
-“Virgin Counter” what do they do to virgins there…?
-“Artist.” i wish i could open up a shop and put up a sign that says “artist” and then wait to see who would come in and what they would ask for…
hotels
-“New Miyako Hotel” in
other interesting sightings / a very global experience
-camels on the highway to Eldoret! i’d expect giraffes here, but camels…?
-being asked if i’m from
-advertisements for karate classes all over Kisumu
-sitting in a defunct Japanese video game shaped like a space rocket while eating a Kenyan banana and canned OJ from Singapore while listening to Britney Spears blasting out of a nearby hair salon as two Swahili women in long burqas stare at me from a bench.
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